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Wilki31's Avatar
Catsey Junior
 
Cats owned: 2 short hair black rescues!
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Leeds, UK
Posts: 21
Wilki31 is Male
09-11-2007, 10:41 PM   #1

Pet Porte Cat Flap


Greetings all, first time post here.

We've recently moved house and our cat Katie was settling in quite well until another cat paid us a visit the other night. As a result she has a sore bite on the top of her tail and shes been left rather traumatised since she's not the most confident of cats!

We are considering buying a Pet Porte cat flap which uses our Katies mircochip rather than the usual magnet which tends to end up round the back of her neck.

Has anyone got a Pet Porte cat flap and are they reliable?

Cheers



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Donna's Avatar
Catsey Veteran
 
Cats owned: Tortie Chloe & Black Misty
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Kent, UK
Posts: 9,350
09-11-2007, 10:43 PM   #2

Re: Pet Porte Cat Flap


Hello and welcome!!

I have had similar problems with cats getting in through my magnetic cat flat - last night was the latest event!

I have seen these and think they look good, but have not heard of anyone using them so cannot advise as to how reliable they are. Would be interested too, to hear any comments.



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Wilki31's Avatar
Catsey Junior
 
Cats owned: 2 short hair black rescues!
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Leeds, UK
Posts: 21
Wilki31 is Male
09-11-2007, 10:56 PM   #3

Re: Pet Porte Cat Flap


Hi thanks for your note, nice to have an instant welcome!

Just an extra - our Katies chip is one that the website states as having a reduced range, so if anyone has experience with a similar type that would help as well. These chips start with 985140...



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Fran's Avatar
Catsey Veteran
 
Cats owned: DSH/Siamese/Orientals
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Yorkshire
Posts: 21,296
09-11-2007, 11:06 PM   #4

Re: Pet Porte Cat Flap


Warm welcome!! I don't know much about these catflaps tbh

I found this thread from a while ago...

http://www.catsey.com/showthread.php?t=21296

Good luck and do let us know how you get on



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Wilki31's Avatar
Catsey Junior
 
Cats owned: 2 short hair black rescues!
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Leeds, UK
Posts: 21
Wilki31 is Male
10-11-2007, 10:06 AM   #5

Re: Pet Porte Cat Flap


Looks like it might not work for our cat but it's good to see they have given an honest reply!

They wrote...

Thank you for your enquiry and for your interest in the Pet Porte microchip cat flap.

Unfortunately the Biotherm microchip 985140 can also measure the cat's temperature as well as serving as an indentification tag. Due to this dual function we have found that it has a much reduced read range as well as a slow reaction time with our cat flap. To put it into context, the microchip we recommend has a read range of about 18cm, most other chips have a read range of about 14cm, the BioTherm chip has a read range of about 4 - 5 cm.

Due to the above reasons we have found in practice that unless you are fitting the cat flap to a wall the Pet Porte would not be an ideal solution for your cat if they have the 985140 microchip.

I am sorry that it is not good news for you but I hope this has helped with your enquiry but if you have any questions or concerns then please do not hesitate to contact me and I will be very happy to help.

Kind Regards

Nick Smith,
Customer Services,
Pet Porte Ltd,

Oh well magnetic cat flap it is then.



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New Member
 
Cats owned: Black DLH
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 14
28-11-2007, 03:17 PM   #6

Re: Pet Porte Cat Flap


This is my first post, so hello. I joined because I read the above thread and I own a Pet Porte cat flap. We bought it about 6 months ago, after Cadbury had a near death experience with a blocked bladder which the vet said could have been caused by other cats coming in the house and stressing him out. He is now on a special diet and (fingers crossed) seems to be ok. Cadbury was microchipped with one of the Biotherm chips and when we got the flap and tested it, it did read the chip but only when he was so close to the porch that he had to be lifted within range. So we had him chipped again with a standard chip and this is read from a very long distance no problem. It does mean that the Biotherm chip cannot be used as the stronger chip effectively smothers the signal from it. There are no medical issues with a cat having multiple chips but you should be aware that it could cause problems with getting a passport if you wanted to take your cat abroad.

The peace of mind you get from knowing that only your cats can come and go is worth the money, and the light sensor to stop your pet going out at night is also good.

Anyhoo, up until this last weekend I would have said that the Pet Porte flap was the best thing since sliced bread. And then it broke. I have contact them and am waiting for someone to get back to me. They do come with an 18 month warranty which is good, but I was searching to see if any one else had had any problems when I came across your forum. I shall let you know how I go on with them.



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Wilki31's Avatar
Catsey Junior
 
Cats owned: 2 short hair black rescues!
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Leeds, UK
Posts: 21
Wilki31 is Male
28-11-2007, 05:42 PM   #7

Re: Pet Porte Cat Flap


Hi HellBelle thanks for the notes and welcome to the forum!

Our Katies cat flap is redundant at the moment as she is refusing to go out because of a tom cat 2 doors down which is causing her a lot of grief.

It keeps getting in so we reckon that it has a magnetic collar as well. We're looking into getting a infra red cat flap now as the biotherm chip certainly has a few drawbacks for her.

If only I could train her to use the doorbell......



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Catsey Senior
 
Cats owned: torty
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: bristol u/k
Posts: 423
John is Male
28-11-2007, 05:51 PM   #8

Re: Pet Porte Cat Flap


Hi Wilki from another mere male on this forum..
john



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New Member
 
Cats owned: Black DLH
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 14
28-11-2007, 07:01 PM   #9

Re: Pet Porte Cat Flap


The flap is now up and running again. I had a chat with them (Nick, the guy from the above email) this afternoon who was very pleasant and helpful. His first suggestion did the trick - the switch is now working again. He is sending some spare parts anyway just in case and if the flap was beyond our repair at home they would have sent a replacement as it is still within warranty. I am v relieved. Cadbury doesn't want to go outside now anyway as it is raining, but hey ho



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jolerrs's Avatar
New Member
 
Cats owned: Avon
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 1
09-04-2008, 10:34 AM   #10

Re: Pet Porte Cat Flap


We bought a pet porte about two weeks ago because we were at our wits end. Our poor cats were being terrorised by another big tom cat who was coming in and treating the house like its own. It was also coming in and spraying all over our house too. Our cats were so upset they were starting to spray inside too. So I read about the infrared and magnetic flaps and they just don't seem to be reliable so I spent a bit more money (twice the price) but I don't regret it for a second.

Our cats have the thermo chips which are supposed to have a smaller reading range than the other type of chips. Only one of the cats really had a problem getting in but the vet also has problems reading her chip so there may be something wrong with her chip anyway. So we brought her to the vet and got another normal chip (£22) the day after installation.

The flap works like a dream. It took a couple of days for the cats to get used to it. We left the beeper on so they know when they hear the beep they can go through the flap. However, the first day one of our cats ran away everytime he heard the beep - it was quite funny to watch.

The cat we had coming in is huge and has broken through a locked flap before now. Well, he's obviously not very happy because he sprayed the door the other day because he couldn't get in! HAH! So it works really well.

It's important to seal around the top and sides of the porte with silicone sealer as there are electrics inside which you don't want getting wet. Also, the flap has to be plugged in to mains to work.

I hope this helps someone make a choice. Definetly worth that extra money to keep your furry pals safe and happy.



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